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381. ZLOO 



Ddo AdVdan 



y 

r Six Months 
Prospecting 
Along the 

Coast of 
Alaska 



FOR TICKETS 

WIRE 

MACDOUQALL= 

SOUtHWICK CO. 

AGENTS 

SEATTLE, - Wash 



For $300 



Alaska Goast Exploration 
Gompanii 



\ 



4 



Wrangcl, Juneau 
i The Famous Treadwell Mine 
I The Gold Fields of Prince William Sound 

Copper River, Cook Inlet 
I Berners Bay 



^6^0/5 




F 909 
.P32 
Copy 1 



ALASKA COAST EXPLORATION 
COMPANY. 



'HE greatest, gold ni^ne in the world is the Treadwcll, in 
the coast district of Alaska. There are a do/.en other 
dividend-paying mines in the same bf^lt, and develoj)- 
ment is proceeding so fast that this nnml)er will he 
doubled (hiring the present year. Hundreds of Treadwells 
yet remain to be discovered, and the Alaska Coast F-.xploration 
Company offers prospectors the opportunit}' to discover them 
during the coming summer, at no greater cost than that of 
staying at home. They can avoid the long tramp overland to 
theYukon, with all its accompanying labor, expense and hard- 
shi[). They can avoid the intense cold of the interior and 
remain on the coast, always within hailing distance of the 
boat from which they will land, where the weather is mild and 
warm, during the long, cloudless days of the northern summer. 
They will have access to the mail and the outside world by 
means of steamers sailing up and down the coast daily. During 
the six months of the trip, they can thoroughly explore the 
great mineral belt of the Alaskan coast, find a fortune awaiting 
them by the water's edge and return home in the fall to ?nake 
arrangements for bringing that fortune to civilization by the 
development of a mine. 

ALASKA PROSPECTORS, LOOK AT THIS! 

The Alaska Coast Exploration Company will start a fast 
sailing-vessel, in charge of skilled and experienced navigators, 
from Seattle, on or about April lOth, with the tirst party of 50 
prospectors and will keep the vessel at their service for 
six months, which will com})rise the period of open weather in 
Alaska. They will be given an opportunity to spend a con- 

1 



sitlerablo time in exploring the country contiguous toWrangel, 
Juneau, the famous Tread well mine, the rich districts of Ber- 
ners bay and Sum-Dum bay, Copper river. Cook inlet and the 
western islands — in fact, all the celebrated gold iields of the 
Alaska coast. The entire cost of transportation from Seattle 
to the gold fields and return, including provisions, will be only 
$300. All that the members of the party will have to provide 
is clothing, blankets and prospecting tools, with a light camp 
outfit for short excursions inland, if they desire it. On account 
of the mildness of the climate, it will not be necessary to pro- 
vide any heavy, expensive clothing, such as is required in out- 
fitting for the Klondike. 

HOW THE TRIP WILL BE MANAGED. 

The party will be in charge of Mr. R. C. Templeman, the 
manager of the company, who will give the passengers 
all the information and assistance hi his power. He has spent 
20 years in prospecting in Alaska, British Columbia, Califor- 
nia and Colorado, and from his ripe and varied experience can 
give invaluable hints to those who place themselves under his 
guidance. Mr. Templeman is thoroughly informed as to the 
geology of the country, so that he can judge of likely places 
for discoveries, and will have a com[)lete assay outfit on board 
the vessel, enabling him to make tests of samples taken from 
any new finds. Under his instructions the vessel will put in 
at the principal points along the coast and cruise around each 
place for two to six weeks, landing parties of his passengers 
where they find promise of good mineral and wish to prospect. 

OBJECT OF THE VOYAGE. 

The prime object of tliose forming the expedition will be to 
discover and develop quartz mines, each person being at liberty 
to work in complete independence of the others, so that his find 
will be his own. At the same time, each man will have the 
advantage not only of his own finds, but of those made by 
every other member of the party, as he will have the oppor- 
tunity to take up contiguous claims. Thus he will share in 



tlic benefits of tlie woi-k of ')(> or 100 otlier men. In sndi cases 
the owners of a number of adjoining claims can, i)y (•(imbiiiing, 
form a large and desirable body of mineral ground, \vhi( li tliey 
can either develoj) themselves or sell in n block to advantage to 
a mining company. The territory of Alaska i^; subject to the 
United States mining laws, which allow a man to locate J 500 
feet along and 600 feet across each quartz ledge he discovers, 
or 20 acres of placer ground. 

THE COAST MINERAL BELT. 

The mines of the Alaska coast are generally low grade 
quartz, though high gi'ade ore is frequently found, and the ore 
is free milling, so that the gold can be easily and chea{)ly 
saved. This mineral belt is sim[)ly an extension northward 
of the great mineral belt which extends north and south 
through the American continent. It is part of the same belt 
as the mother lode of California, which caused the great stam- 
pede of 1849, and which is still })ouring millions of dollars 
worth of gold into the mints. On the same belt are the i)lacer 
and quartz mines of southern and eastern Oregbn ; the great 
bodies of free milling and sulphide ore which veiii the Cascade 
and Gold ranges of mountains in Washington ; the rich gold 
mines of Trail creek, which have paid hundreds of thousands 
of dollars in dividends; the famous silver-lead mines of Slocan, 
which have yielded profits amounting to millions; the cop})er 
and gold mines of the coastof British Columbia, which arejust 
beginning to attract notice ; and the famous gold fields of 
Phraser river. Cariboo and Cassiar. The rich silver-lead mines of 
the Coeur d'Alene country in Idaho; the gold, .«ilvor and cop- 
per mines of Montana ; the silver mines of Utah and Colorado 
and the gold mines of Cripple Creek are on this great belt. 
Richly veined with mineral of every variety, it extends from 
the tropics of Central America to the frozen regions of the 
Arctic circle. All the great mineral di.scoveries of the last oO 
years, including those of the Klondike, have been made along 
this line and it has recently been found to extend to Kotzebue 
sound, one of the main arms of Bering sea. 

3 



The gold oil the Klondike is placer, which is quickly 
worked out, but that of the coast of Alaska is iu low grade free 
milliTig quartz, whicli exists in such vast bodies that by system- 
atic working on a large scale it can l)e made to pay immense 
profits, and the mines will last for hundreds of years. The 
great Tieadwell mine on Douglas island, near Juneau, has a 
ledge of free milling (puirtz which in one i)lace is 421 feet wide 
and, though it only carries an average of $8 in gold per ton, 
it is mined in vast quantities and crushed at the rate of 700 
tons a day in a 240-stamp mill, so that the cost of producing 
the bullion is only $1.15 per ton of ore. The production will 
be increased this year to 1500 tons a day by the addition of 
300 stamps. This mine has produced $7,000,000 in gold, of 
which $4,000,000 has been paid in dividends. The Treadwell 
is one of four allied companies owning mines on Douglas island, 
which with the additions to be made this year will have 880 
stamps in operation — a larger nun'ber than is owned by any 
other group of companies in the world. The Treadwell mines 
were producing gold long before the Klondike was heard of 
and will continue to produce it many years after the Klondike 
is an abandoned, worked-out camp. 

The Treadwell is only the greatest of many great mines 
which have for years produced large quantities of gold bullion, 
ior there is hardly an exception to the rule that every mine on 
the coast of Alaska having a stamp mill is a dividend-payer. 
For a distance of 60 miles north and south of Juneau a wide 
belt of slates runs northwest and southeast. In these slates 
are eruptive dikes of p >rphyry and greenstone, between which 
and the slates are contact veins of C[uar z carrying free gold 
and iron sulphurets. It is in this belt that the principal mines 
have been discovered. On Admiralty island, lying south of 
Douglas island, some large veins are being developed. On 
yilver Bow basin, directly back of Juneau, in the mountains, 
are several mines equippeii with stamp mills. On Sum Dum 
bay is the famous Bahl Eagle, which has produced in fourteen 
months about $250,000, enough to pay for the mine and all 
work and machinery. On Berners bay are the celebrated 



Jualiii, Comet and Kensinp;ton mines, all of wliicli are paying 
dividends. In some parts of the (,'omet mine the ore is so rich 
that, lest any of it be lost in blasting, it is carefnlly broken 
down by hand upon canvas. 

THE GOLD OUTPUT OF 1897. 

The best evidence of the mineral woalth of the Alaska coast 
is the following table j)nbli.slied in tiie Alaska Mining Record, 
showing the number of stamps and the bullion productofeach 
mine in the year 1897 : 

MINE STAMPS PRODU CT 

Nowell Gold Mining Co 50 ;f 275, 000 

Beruers Ba}- Mining and Milling Co 40 20o,o<X) 

Alaska Treadwell Gold Mining Co. and Alaska 

Mexican Gold Mining Co 360 1,400,000 

Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Co 35 120,000 

The Jualin Mining Co 10 75,000 

Ebner Gold Mining Co 10 65,000 

Alaska Willoughby Gold Mining Co. (not in 

operation 10 

Green Mine, Norton Sound 10 30,000 

Bald Eagle Mining Co 4 250,000 

Alaska Commercial Co 40 600,000 

Portland Alaska Gold Mining Co 10 20,000 

Aurora Borealis Gold Mining Co., just started 5 

The Sum Dum Chief Gold Mining Co., just 

started 5 

Total of quartz mines 589 13,035,000 

Liluya Baj- placer mines 20,000 

Cook Inlet placer mines 250,000 

Total output of coast district $3 305,000 

Discoveries on the South. 

During the last two or three years this belt of slates has 
l)een proved to extend soutliwai<l, whtre ore has been dis- 
covered carrying free gold, with occas'onal cojiper or silver. 
The ledges crop out on the water's edge along the numerous 
inlets which iiulent the coast and the discoveries are frequently 
made from boats. One of the richest discoveries is on the 
Clevelan.d peninsula, where a number of ledges of quartz are 
literally pt'ppered with gold, ranging from colors to nuggets 



the si/.e of l)eans. Oii (JiaviiiM Island active developnient lias 
begun on a number of ledges, some of wliicli are rich in sil 
ver as well as gold and copper. On Tongass narrows, furtlier 
north, ledges of quartz carrying free gold outcrop at the waters 
edge. The two Birds Eye claims on one of these ledges were 
recently sold for $10,000. On George's inlet is a group of 20 
claims on a great deposit of gold-bearing ore. Rich prospects 
have been discovered on Thorne arm, at Boca de (Quadra, on 
the Hidden inlets of Cape Fox, on Cape Fox ])ro}>er, on Mary 
island, Cat island and Prince of Wales island ; also on Port 
Houghton, Montana creek, Holkliam bay and Snetisham bay. 
The general average of the ore in that belt ranges in value 
from $10 to $40, though it is frequently found much richer. 
On Annette island are a number of ledges, fine mineral having 
been discovered in at least 7o different places. 

The islands of western Alaska are as rich in attractions to 
the prospector as those of the south-east, for on many of them 
gold has been found and on Unga island the Alaska Com- 
merial Company is turning out several hundred thousand 
dollars a year with a 40-.stamp mill at the Apollo mine. 

Copper River's Riches. 

Westward from .Juneau the vessel will take its part}' of 
adventurers to Prince AVilliam sound, into which liows Copper 
River from a land of mysterious wealth. Prospectors have 
gone up this stream and found the bars toward its headwaters 
to be richly laden with gold, while the rugged, glacier-riven 
mountains through which it flows are masses of gold and cop- 
per ore. The great Kenai peninsula, which divides Prince 
William sound from Cook inlet on the west, abounds in simi- 
lar mineral, but has become still more famous through the 
discovery of oil wells which overflow into a small lake and 
cover its waters, and saturate the surrounding mossbeds with 
oil so thoroughly that they burn at the touch of a inatch. On 
the east shore of Cook inlet is a bluff overhanging the water, 
through wiiich runs a thick seam of coal. Masses of this coal 
are continually breaking off and tumbling to the beach, whence 
tliey are picked up for fuel by the steamers. 

li 



Cook Inlet Placers. 

Cook inlet is one of the great placer mining districts of 
Alaska and last year added fully $250,000 in gold to the wealth 
of the world. On Six-Mile and Resurrection creeks and their 
tributaries mining has been carried on with good success for 
two years, one man having taken out $1,000 a week for .10 
weeks. Last summer rich pay dirt was found on Bird creek 
on the opposite side of Turnagain arm, and a stampede was 
the result. 

Mines Easy of Access. 

No district in the world combines the same advantages for 
l)rospecting and mining pos.sessed by the coast belt which will 
be explored by the parties traveling on the Alaska Coast Ex- 
ploration Comi)any's fleet. One can ride over the calm, still 
deeps of the many channels and inlets and study from a boat 
the face of the mountains spread like a panorama on both 
sides. The mineral often crops out right on the water's edge 
and one rarely needs to go beyond the summit of the first 
mountain ridge in order to strike a good pro<5pect. Timber 
abounds everywhere for fuel, building and mining purposes. 
Cascades, leai)ing down the mountains, furnish all the water 
power any man can need and this fact explains the general 
use of electricity for light and power at the Alaska coast mines. 
Stamp mills can be erected on deep water, where ocean steam- 
ers can lie to unload supplies and load concentrates. Thus 
water transportation is everywhere available to take base ores 
and concentrates to the smelters at Everett, Tacoma and San 
Francisco. 

There are Other Treadwells. 

Despite the great accessibility of this district and the vast 
stream of wealth poured forth from the mines already opened^ 
it is in great part a virgin Held to the prospector. Yet the 
abundant evidences of mineral on all hands leave no room for 
doubt that many other Treadwells — and perhaps greater mines 
than the Treadwell — remain to be discovered. It is with a 
view to the discovery and development of more Treadwells 



tliat the Alaska Coast Exploration Company is organizing its 
expedition. Every comfort will be aflfbrded the part}'^ while on 
board, for the vessel has been entirely refitted with first class 
passenger accommodation, in order that the prospectors may 
make it their home during the six months of the trip, and 
every facility will be afforded them to land where and when 
they please and to re-embark when they wish to move on to 
fresh scenes of exploration. 

The Wonders Of Nature. 

Incidental to the main purpose of the voyage, the party will 
have an opportunity to study tlie works wrought by nature in 
her sublimest moods and to visit some of the famous places on 
the Alaska coast. They can see Wrangel, the port at the mouth 
of the Stickeen river, whence thousands of miners went inland 
to the Cassiar gold fields in former years. They will view 
Juneau, the mining metropolis of Alaska, the centre of the 
great gold district where they will seek tlieir fortunes. They 
will cross Gastineaux channel I'rom there to Douglas island 
and hear the thunder of the great Treadwell stamp mill. All 
these sights will be enjoyed in passing, for their attention will 
be fastened on the treasures which nature has buried in those 
mountains. But they can enjoy these ])leasures, while pursu- 
ing the search for fortune, at no greater cost than if they con- 
tinued their old humdrum existence through the sweltering 
summer of the eastern .states. 

When the Vessel Sails. 

The first vessel will sail from Seattle about April 10, and 
will carry not over 50 pprsons. A second vessel, with a like 
number, will sail at a later date, to be announced hereafter. 
For further particulars in regard to the trip, address: 

R. C. TExMPLEMAN, Manager, Box 6G 
or The MAC DOUGALL-SOrTH wick ilO., Agents 

Seattle, Wash. 



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